1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the invention relates to tools utilized during the playing of golf. More specifically, the invention relates to tools having multiple purposes and having at least one insert portion of a different material than that material of a body of the tool.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The game of golf is enjoyed by many persons. Such players range from beginner players to occasional recreational players to serious recreational players to serious amateur players to professional players. Many regular non professional players, including retired or semi retired persons, routinely enjoy the game of golf on a very regular basis. It is common to have players of golf living in communities which have at least one golf course owned and operated by the community. Such players often enjoy a round of golf on a very regular schedule, including daily.
Numerous tools, including divot tools, exist to assist golfers during the play of the game of golf. Golfers typically utilize a collection of golf clubs during play which include woods, irons and a putter. Normally such clubs are retained in a golf bag during storage, transport to and from the playing areas of golf courses, and during movement about the golf course during play. Numerous designs of golf bags exist in the art with areas for placement of the golf clubs and various other objects associated with the play of golf, such other objects including various tools utilized during the play of the game of golf. Various of these tools are occasionally carried about on the person of the player, either in a pocket of clothing or otherwise attached to clothing, such as in belt clips.
All golf courses employ persons to tend to and care for their golf course including providing for the care and maintenance of the vegetation associated with the course. This includes watering and mowing of the grass of the fairways and greens and the grass about the fairways and greens. The greens are particularly important to both the personnel of the golf course and to the players. Each player, at each of the holes of a golf course, move their ball from the tee along a fairway to the green and eventually into the cup. During such play a lofted shot will often land on the green where the impact of the ball, depending upon the distance stuck and the height obtained, will compress the well manicured grass of the green, and the soil underneath, at the point of impact. This point of impact, beyond being an impediment to subsequent players putting across this point to reach the cup, will actually damage the green if the compression is not relieved relatively quickly. It is known to have at least some of the grass at such untended impact points actually die. Experienced and considerate players of golf take great care to ensure that they do not damage the golf course, including the greens. Therefore, most players carry and routinely use a divot tool to manually release the compacting pressure caused by divots created by their respective play. Most serious players, when they notice a divot on a green which they, or their party, did not cause will routinely tend to the noted divot and release the compacting pressure of the divot.
It is known to provide tools have various capabilities. Tools are known in the art to provide for performance of each of these useful functions, divot repair, club support, club face groove cleaning, golf shoe spike cleaning, golf shoe spike installation and removal, rotationally manipulating a phillips head screw, rotationally manipulating a slotted head screw, removing a bottle cap from a bottle, sharpening a pencil and lifting a pull tab from a beverage can.
Various of the above mentioned useful functions are occasionally desired to be performed during the play of the game of golf. Few players would even consider taking along individual tools to perform all of these useful functions. Some multi purpose tools are known in the art having numerous functional capabilities. An excellent example is the multi purpose tool where pivotal manipulation from a housing transfers portions between a stored orientation and a deployed orientation. While very versatile, these tools are awkward to manipulate to bring the desired portion having the desired feature into the deployed orientation. Additionally, following performance of the desired useful function the deployed portion must then be returned to the respective stored orientation. All of this is time consuming and may even result in injury to the user, such as damage to fingernails used during initial transfer of the portion from the stored orientation to the deployed orientation. A far better solution resides in placing structures to perform all of the desired useful functions on a single tool without any moving parts which must be manipulated.
It is known in the art to provide tools having a base portion formed of a first material and active portion formed of a second, more durable material, attached to the base portion by various means. An excellent example is a cutter, such as a letter opener, having a plastic handle with a metallic blade positioned thereon during the manufacturing process. Such use radically reduces the expense of manufacture when compared to an identical object completely formed of the metallic material. Numerous other benefits exist for such dual material articles, including being light weight and easier to handle and transport. It is known in the art to provide for user removeable and user replaceable parts formed of unique materials.
Conventionally known multiple function golf tools formed of a single material have the problem of either being strong enough to withstand use but are excessively expensive or are economically available but are to weak structurally to withstand use.
Various deficiencies exist with each of the known methods of providing tools capable of performing desired useful functions during the play of the game of golf. As can be seen various attempts have been made to provide a player with tools for use during play of the game of golf which are strong and durable yet reasonable priced. These attempts have been less efficient than desired. As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a multiple purpose tool capable of being readily carried about by the player and which has structural integrity at key operational points and which is capable of performing any of the desired useful functions. The present invention substantially fulfills these needs.